


It wasn't just a dream

by LoafOfBread



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-28
Updated: 2015-01-25
Packaged: 2017-12-21 15:13:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/901750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoafOfBread/pseuds/LoafOfBread
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aradia and Sollux wander around the dreambubbles to find the right Feferi, and when Sollux finally reunites with her, Aradia wanders around the place, entering a random bubble.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Silence.

The place around the two of you is completely black, except for a feeble but present aura of green, which surrounds an indefinite and far section of the Veil. It must be the light of the Green Sun, isn't it? You two have been wandering around for quite some time now, mostly because you're both bored of the life on the meteor, where every day goes on average like this: wake up, meet your doomed-selves, eat and go back to sleep. Where's the ADVENTURE in all of this?

So, you decided to drag your unlucky friend with you to float around, searching for some interesting dream bubbles. And for "interesting", you mean the ones containing your dead friends from the Alpha line, of course! Sollux, in particular, wishes to find the "true FF", and though in the beginning he was the one being dragged around, he's the one leading your nice stroll in the black Veil now.

You giggle watching him curse at the wrong, umpteenth bubble, then reach for his shoulder, patting it "It's okay, we'll eventually find her"  
He groans "No you don't fucking understand, AA. This is, what, the hundred and twentieth time we enter the wrong bubble? I'm getting fed up with this bullshit! WHY did she have to make so fucking much of these shits?!"  
You pap his face, snickering lightly at his face: he gets so silly when he's angry, with all the black-and-yellow sparks in his eyes, while he splutters everywhere due to his missing teeth "Oh, shut your trap. We both know they were necessary, don't forget about all the timelines we created"  
"WE? You mean that YOU created, with all those goddamned bots" he mutters  
"You're just angry, clam down!" you wink, giggling and floating away. You know he's staring speechless at you, you can feel it on your skin.

"God, Sollux. You're so boring when you have to work for something! Always complaining and wanting to give up" mh? Oh, another bubble in the distance!

"I don't complain. I simply express my reluctance in undertaking any new possible action, which might be an unnecessary expenditure of energy and time"  
"Yes, that's about the definition of giving up" you nod, smiling. You point to the… Horizon, you guess? "Will you give up in that bubble, please? So you can stay there and I don't have to drag you back to the meteor with me, you pessimist tro-"

"A bubble?" well, that surely was a super-alive tone of voice! What, has he resurrected for the fifth time? "Move your ass AA, there's people in there!" you follow him, amused by his sudden change of mood. He sprints further away, lapsing in the thick and fluid layer of the dream bubble, entering it. You quickly follow, and you both find yourselves in a rather nice place, with different pieces of reality clashed together: Tavros and Kanaya's old hives, Rose's house, a piece of sea and a zone of arid desert.

You look around, admiring the starry part of the sky, while Sollux turns his head around to sniff every inch around him. You sigh "Please, calm down. I'm sure this is the right bubble, I can feel it in my wings"  
"That's what you said in the last bubble too, don't you dare shitting me"  
"…Well, this time's different! I'm honest, there MUST be somebody from the Alpha timeline" you hop away and wave your hand, gesturing him to follow you "My God Tier senses are tingling!" you laugh, twirling around happily.

You like this bubble! It smells of fresh mint that tickles your nose, and saltiness. You decide to profit from the situation by taking off your shoes and walking bare-foot on the soft golden sand, letting its softness relax your whole body, starting from the plants. You sigh contently, brushing a lock of curls away from your forehead and moving it behind your hear. You quietly turn your head towards the sea, looking at it with a wide smile. Oh?  
"Hey!" you yell, pointing out "Look there!" he walks near you, then flicks his fingers on your nose "Ouch! …Right, sorry" you chuckle "There's a castle over the ocean! And it looks like a castle we both know"  
"Does it?" he tugs at your sleeve, and you headbutt him lightly "It does! I'll guide you, don't worry" you playfully pat his head, grinning "Your smell isn't strong enough for you to float around all alone, yet"  
"Ohhh, thank you miss Megido! I would be fucking lost without you!" he fakes a swoon in your arms, and you laugh, taking him.  
"Well? What are you doing still here? I'd swear you looked like you had pepper in your ass, all excited for this new dream bubble. C'mon, let's go!" you fly up in the sapphire sky, with his hand in yours. There you go!

The huge building shimmers in this bright area of the bubble, where a pearly moon shines bright, surrounded by a thousand purple and green stars. It resembles Feferi's hive, yet, it's somehow different… You didn't remember it having four towers. And where does this moat come from? Ah, you see now: it must be one of those corrupted bubbles, where human reality gets mixed with troll's.  
"What a nice place, isn't it?" you smile widely.  
"Are we sure this is FF's hive? It smells… Different" you both walk inside, crossing the drawbridge. On the right, there's a marble statue of a human cherub clinging to a troll figure, possibly a Sylph God Tier player, who looks like she's trying to escape from the huge cherub's arms. You tilt your head, finding it impressive, yet weird. Why would a human kidnap a Silph? You shrug, walking further inside the hall. The walls are high, with richly decorated gothic arches, profusely engraved with swirls and the Pisces sign replied in many different ways here and there among them. Yes, definitely Feferi's now-strange hive! You must say, it was corrupted in a nice way. You both keep wandering around, until the fuchsia and golden door in front of you opens on its own, letting you step inside.

An happy and crystal clear voice welcomes both of you, and you happily squeal back at the female troll hopping in your direction. You open your arms and fly towards her, hugging tightly your long-lost friend "Feferi!"  
"ARADIA!" she gurgles back, swirling you around with her strength, like you weighted nothing. You both laugh in excitement and emotion: you're so glad you finally found the real Peixes! When she lets go of you, you keep her hands in yours, then nod at Sollux, smiling widely. She giggles, blushing a little, and you wink before letting go of her "I think I'll go for a little walk around here!" you happily announce, bumping Sollux's shoulder with your fist before stepping out of the castle, leaving your friends to their business.

You wonder if Nepeta has adjourned her shipping wall?


	2. Chapter 2

The Royal Bubble -as you named it- is quite interesting, there's your old hive, too! You fly inside through a window, brushing your fingertips on the walls and your old recuperacoon, smiling. Oh, man… You can't stay here for too long, this corner of the hive is where Rammom used to sleep. You rush away, rubbing your eyes. You kind of miss her, to be honest… Hey, wait a second. Where is your diningblock? Shit, it must be missing. You exasperatingly groan: you're getting real tired of all these changes! You sit down on the windowsill of the window whom you entered, gazing out the view. Ah, the ocean… You never saw it when you were on Alternia, busy as you were with excavating and having fun with Sollux. You still remember the first day you convinced him to come with you, it was super fun! You sigh contently, smiling softly at the memory. Augh! Too many memories flooding in! You have to absolutely distract yourself.

You fly up in the sky, hovering over the rippled surface of the cobalt sea, with sprinkles of white foam here and there. You now see why Feferi loved to spend time in the water. Your reflection follows you, and as you smile, it smiles back at you. You surely have fun with nothing, don't you?  
When you look up from the surface, you gasp and almost yell, stopping your gliding to not hit the walls of a new hive. Wait, what? An hive, in the middle of the ocean…? You look up at it, and a smirk of curiosity creeps on your lips, replacing the expression of surprise you were showing a couple seconds ago.  
It's going to be so much fun!

You silently circle the building, until you find the entrance. A ship-hive, huh? You tap your chin, humming: you wonder who lived here? You easily open the door, finding yet another corrupted environment inside. You can definitely tell these stairs don't belong in this building, and neither do those piles of broken 8-balls. Your curiosity grows, and you decide to walk up the flight of stairs, counting them because you're THAT bored.

Finally, you find a closed door. You hold the golden doorknob, pushing the door open.

"Hello there? Anybody home…?" you call out, but nobody answers. You step inside, looking around: the entrance is situated at one of the corners of a room, which resembles a human livingroom, with a royal red-and-dark-yellow carpet on the floor. In the middle, on the huge carpet, there's an ancient and really expansive ebony table, decorated with engravings of moons and stars, with a thin white tablecloth ontop. Near it, on the opposite side from where you're standing, stays a sleek coffee table, shaped like a semicircle, in front of a creamy white couch –you know that piece of furniture is called couch, Rose and Dave showed you a picture-. On your left, against the wall, there's the biggest library you've ever seen, and you have to take three steps further, to get a glimpse of the many books laying there.

Wow…You're IN the room now, so you can see everything better, including a detail you didn't notice earlier: a really nice baywindow, with an… Ablution trap? Why is there an ablution trap in front of a window? And… Is that a troll? You rise a brow, silently flying over.

You float above the sea dweller, looking down at him. If Karkat were here, he'd be flipping his shit out: you know how much he misses this douche, though he doesn't explicitly admit it. You smile, observing the sleeping troll. He must've been taking a nice bath, if he fell asleep like this! You wonder if he's still the moron he was when he was alive? You don't think he'd look so relaxed and peaceful if he were, though… Your "God Tier senses" aren't tingling: he must be from a doomed timeline, then.

You didn't know watching a troll sleeping was so relaxing. Just watching his chest puff up slightly and then relax, observe his face as he stays still, his lock of hair roll down his temples as he quietly moves his head… Did you look like this too, when you were dead? Probably. You reach for his purple tuft, holding some hair with to fingers and placing it back on his forehead, away from his closed eyes. Shhhh! Must not make a noi- oh, damn it. You woke him up! You curse yourself, then wave slowly at him "Hello there!" you give him the biggest smile you manage in such an awkward situation.  
He slowly pries his eyes open, groaning lightly in his shut mouth, obviously annoyed by the forced awakening. He pulls himself up, from a laying to a sitting position, chugging.  
"Hello my ass… Was that really necessary Ar? I was sleepin', you know"  
"I saw it" you nod "And you seemed pretty relaxed, too. Were you dreaming something nice?"  
He snorts "Did you dream nice stuff when you were dead? Yeah, as I thought. I don't really dream, either" he looks at you, but luckily for you, he's not angry.  
"So… Alive Megido, huh?" he moves his snow white irises towards you, turning his pearly white pupils "What brin's you here?"  
You shrug "Oh, nothing important. Sollux and I were just very bored, and he decided to find the real Feferi. Did you know you have the legit one in this bubble?"  
He nods "I perfectly know. I pay her several visits, for your information" he kind of covers himself with the foam, and it makes you chuckle  
"What's that? The mighty Ampora getting embarassed in front of a 'vvicious landdwweller'?" you make air quotes, making him pout  
"Ha-ha. Look how much I'm fuckin' laughin'. Ha-HA. Servant, please brin' me a feather, I need to tickle myself" he rolls his eyes, even shaking his head a little.  
"Since when you got so sarcastic?"  
"Death has positive traits, too. Not to mention I'm from a weird timeline. We used to converse a lot with the humans, that must've made me a very likeable, sarcastic troll. Oh, an Fef didn't dump me either. Pretty nice, if you ask me"  
"Pretty nice indeed! And what about me?" you curiously ask.  
"You died. Well, everybody did, really" he scratches his nape "Nobody could stop Gam, once he died on his fuckin' Bed."  
"Oh… Wow"  
"Yeah… Could you stop lookin' at me like that?!" you frowns a little "An get down there, my neck's gettin' fuckin' strained!"  
You laugh "Sorry! Here" you place your feet on the parquet "Any better?"  
"MUCH better" he moves both his arms on the edge of the ablution trap, crossing them there and looking at you "Where's Sol?" he tilts his head.  
"Use your imagination!" you snort at his face, when he realizes "I'd rather prefer to not think of what they're probably doing right now, and so should you" you playfully suggest.  
"I definitely ain't gonna think of that. Not in a zillion years" you gets a shiver, making a disgusted grimace.  
"Anyways… You stayin' for long?" he yawns, showing his line of sharp teeth, reaching for a soap bar.  
"I don't know, really. But yes, I guess I will stay here for quite some time" he nods, understanding.  
"Wanna take a bath?"  
"…Excuse me?"  
"I said: would you like to undress an take a step, then lift your leg an dip it in the transparent fluid called water, then bend your knees an sit in what you lowbloods call 'ablution trap', for the sole purpose of relaxin' an scrape some dirt off your skin?" he calmly repeats, brushing the soap on his arm. You blush hard, feeling all hot on your cheeks. You? A bath with one of the deadliest trolls? In the same ablution trap? NAKED?!  
"…We both know what you're aiming at" you point at him with your finger, narrowing your eyes "You just want to see me naked!"

He laughs, but it's not one of those irritating 'you-are-so-stupid' laughs. It's an… Amused laugh? What's so funny about his perversion?  
"Ar… Use your thinkpan for a second" he turns his head to you "I'm dead. I can't fill any quadrant, perhaps the pail one only. I'm simply offerin' you to restore from your journey an tell me about your alpha timeline. I promise I won't touch you or anythin'" he smiles "I ain't exactly the same Ampora you knew"


	3. Chapter 3

So, you understood correctly... You stare at him wide-eyed, scratching your nape in embarrassment. You look at his calm face and slight courteous smile, fiddling with your hair. Should you accept? You are tired, you've been flying around for quite some time, and you bet Sollux is relaxing with Feferi in this very same moment, so… Why shouldn't you, too? Though… Sollux and Feferi were once matesprits, but you and Eridan? You've met when you were a robot, and you didn't even talk that much. You don't really know him at all, is it safe to bathe with him? God, you must look like an idiot in his eyes, all hesitant and shy. But still! You'll be naked in his same ablution trap! Wait, how does Rose call it? Ablution… Tub? Yeah! That. You'll be laying in his same tub, and who knows what he might do… "Who ensures me you won't try to assault me?" you ask, brows furrowed a little to express your total seriousness

"I told you, Ar. I got no reason to touch you in any way, I'm simply offerin' you a moment of relax" he smiles, showing a pair of dimples just like yours on his cheeks "I could bride your hair, like I did –an still do- with Fef. Bet my ass your shitty moirail never did it, did he? Tsk, has to be expected from an inept like him" he says, with a slight expression of superiority printed on his face. Even in his timeline, they have hated each other, hm? You just know it.

"A lil desert flower like you deserves to be pampered, once in a while"  
You rise a brow, skeptical "What's with the sudden compliment, now? Are you hitting on me, Ampora?"  
"Mh? Oh, no no. If I knew a lil compliment would upset you so much, I would've refrained from makin' any" he bows his head a little "My apologies. Now, mind to answer my question about the bath?"  
"If you do anything weird, I will cut you with my kickass God Tier powers! Heard me?"  
"Perfectly" he simply replies, scooting to rest his back against the tub and pulling his knees up to make room for you. He gestures to the now-empty place with his hand, smiling "Need help?"  
"Are you suggesting me to bathe dressed?" you scoff him. He chuckles a little.  
"Ah, right. You can put the clothes on that chair" he nods at one of the chairs around the table in the middle of the room, but you guess the floor will do. You grab the hem of your shirt, starting to undress. Hey! "Do you mind?"  
"Not at all!" he snickers, but turns his head shortly after. You roll your eyes at him, undressing as quickly as possible: you don't know when he will turn his head!

You almost jump in the tub, accidentally splashing water out of it. He finally turns his head in your direction, and you can tell he's clearly happy to have some alive company. It somehow makes you smile in return.  
"So, how are you?" you politely ask, enjoying the warmth of the water and the soft bubbles. Ahhhh!  
"I'm fine. Dead, but fine. A bit bored honestly, nothin' interestin' ever happens… I heard Vris met our dancestors, but both Fef an I missed it. I'm lookin' forward to meet mine" his smile is so proud and expectant, that you don't have the heart to tell him Cronus is… Rather embarrassing, as dancestor. You give him a compassionate smile.  
"Yeah, I hope you'll meet him one of these days! But don't keep your hopes too high, they were rather delusional for all of us"  
"I'm sure I'll like him" he confidently replies. Oh well, one of his doomed versions did indeed like him, didn't he?  
"If you say so!" you grin "I can't say I'm bored, you know. Every day we meet new bubbles with new doomed versions, each with their story behind. I once met a Feferi who filled her black quadrant with Nepeta, can you believe it? But the best one was Kanaya finally filling her ashen quadrant with Gamzee and Terezi. Oh, do you know?" you lean a little "They're having a legit kismesissitude going on!"  
"Who? Gam an Ter or Kan an Gam?" he asks, soaping behind his earfins "I can't see Ter an Kan in a black thin' honestly"  
"In fact it's Terezi and Gamzee. And Karkat! Ohhhh poor Karkat…"  
"What? Why 'poor Kar'?" he rises his brows, surprised "Don't leave me hangin' like this!"  
You look around, then gesture him to lean over. You whisper in his ear "He's Gamzee's moirail, but still has a flushcrush for Terezi"  
He gasps a little, widening his eyes and sitting back straight, covering his mouth "Really?"  
You nod, humming "Really really!"  
"Oh fuck… Oh my god I can't believe this! Poor Kar, doesn't deserve this. Gam must be a fuckin' shitty moirail. How could do they end up in such a delicate quadrant?" he tuts, looking away.  
"It's a long story… I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you…"  
"Ah, it's okay. I don't—"  
"Alright, well! Long story short, Gamzee went totally CRAZY and killed Nepeta, Equius and cut off yours, Tavros and Feferi's head!" you excitedly say.  
He stares at you, sloping his fins down "You sound… Awfully excited about this…"  
"Oh, well!" you swat your hand, as if he just made a compliment "I told you all we were going to die, didn't i?"  
He nods "Yeah, you did in my timeline as well. Though… Could you avoid makin' that happy face when speakin' about slaughters an heads… Bein'…" he swallows, running an hand over his neck and gills "Cut…"  
Oh man! "Ah right, sorry Eridan! I didn't mean to scare you or anything" you reach for his knee and pap it "It was simply really interesting to have all those corpses… I wanted to have a corpse party, but they didn't let me!" you pout "What kind of friends did I choose to hang with, I wonder. So boring!"

He snorts "Yeah? An who's the most borin'?"  
"Sollux for sure!" you then proceed to list why he's the most boring troll you've ever met, but you make sure to sound overly-exasperated, meaning that you like him the way he is. Your dead friend –you guess he's your friend now, right?- nods, patiently listening. This version of him must be used to listen to other troll's ranting. When you finally finish, he smiles and tilts his head.  
"In my timeline, you two were matesprits. Just though you could've find this information interestin'"  
You arch your brows "Were we?" he nods, chuckling. You giggle "Well, interesting! I really can't see myself in the red quadrant with him, but… I guess something must've happened, if we ended up together, huh?"  
"Yup. An I ain't gonna tell you what it was" he sing-songs.

After that, you both shut your traps and enjoy the silence around you. So comfortable! You slide a little in the water, making it reach your chin. Your foot touches Eridan's leg, but you're too busy relaxing, so you don't mind it. You hum contently, while an hand delicately takes your foot, pulling it up and placing your heel on a knee. You pry your eyes, catching him as he moves his hands on your plant, slowly massaging.

Ohhhhh, this is… So good! You didn't know he could use his hands like that. You don't argue, instead, you pull your other foot up too, placing it on his free knee. He snorts a little, but doesn't say anything. Would you ruin the moment if you spoke up? Probably… What should you d—AAAH!  
"N-NO ERIDAN I'M TICKLIISHHH!" you yell, laughing loudly. That asshole is tickling you! "YOU FUCKING MORON STOOOP!" you whine, having tears streaming down your cheeks. He snickers and lets go of a foot only, still holding the other  
"an why should I! Haven't had this fun in a while!" he laughs too, eventually letting go of you when you kick his nose. He groans loudly, while you breathe deeply to calm down. Puh! Puh! Uhhhh…  
"Serves you right!" you pout, crossing your arms over your chest. He is hunched down, and… Why is he still groaning? Do ghosts even feel pain? Oh my god what if they do?!  
"Hey, did I hurt you?" you lowly ask, sitting on your knees and placing your hand on his back "Come on, answer me" you murmur, tilting your head so you can see his face. You hear a snicker, then see a smirking face and suddenly, you find yourself laying on your back with Eridan on top of you.


	4. Chapter 4

"Did you really think you could hurt me with a lil kick like that?" he chuckles, flicking his fingers on your nose and moving back to his own spot in the tub "Sorry Ar, but you'll need to do better if you wanna hurt highbloods. Now now, what's with that face? I didn't eat your face, did I? Sit up!" he chuckles, and you slowly do as he says. Woah there, friend! I understand you have a great body shape, but you might need to slow down!

"You must ask for forgiveness!" you sentence, arms over your chest. He rises a brow and blinks  
"Yeah? An why should I?"  
"Because you promised you weren't going to touch me, when you both touched my feet and jumped on me!" you pout a little. It makes him roll his eyes.  
"God, Ar. You must be kiddin', right? I ain't beggin' for any forgiveness"  
"You are. And you know why?" you slyly smile "Because if you don't, I'm telling Feferi!"  
He gasps "You aren't! You'd never DARE!"  
"Ah, you think so? Very well. See you another day…" you move to stand up, but he's quick to stop you.  
"Okay okay okay, fine! Fuckin' fine. Forgive me Ar for whatever the fuck I did" he mutters.  
"No" you smile "I'm not forgiving you" he stays silent and gives you a confused stare, waiting for explanations "I want you to massage my back too, not only my feet. Only then I might think about forgiving you!"  
"…I'll avoid makin' any comment on this request, but whatEVER, fine. Turn around"  
You grin, shifting so you're giving him your back "Don't go too hard on my poor shoulders! They're literally broken" you chuckle, feeling pretty damn smug. Gonna get a massaaage! Eheh!

He starts with the crook of your shoulders, warming them up. You tilt your head, humming in pleasure and smiling for yourself. Your wings are resting, so they're not in the way and he can work with no impediments.  
"When did you become so good? I never knew you had this... Ability!"  
He chuckles "Many people never knew. Has to be expected, since nobody really had the time or will to get to know me better. I'm not sayin' it was their fault, on the contrary, it was mostly mine, an I understand I was an insufferable douche in life, even in my timeline, so I'm okay with the fact nobody wanted me around, except for my moirail an you"  
You rise a brow "Me? Were we friends in your timeline?"  
"We could say that" he replies, almost whispering the words "We... Somehow were friends, yeah"  
"What do you mean 'somehow'?" you curiously ask, turning your head with a smile printed on your face. He doesn't answer, he only smiles in return a little. You decide it's better to not push it, after all, you don't know what happened in his own timeline. You turn your head again, looking and playing with the bubbles as he keeps untying all the knots on your back and shoulders, one at time, with both or just one hand, using his fingertips or his palms. Time passes slowly, and you relax so much, that you start to inadvertently purr, but you suppress it as quickly as possible, to not create any embarrassing or awkward moment.  
What really surprises you, hower, is the fact he purrs back, and leans against your back to wrap his arms loosely around your waist, while you try to stop your purrs. You stay still, but in a couple of seconds you wiggle out of his arms, almost jumping to the other side of the tub, growling.  
"What do you think you're doing, Ampora?!"

He doesn't look ashamed, or surprised, nor excited. He looks... Kind of sad. Deluded.  
"Sorry Ar. I didn't want to-"  
"You didn't want to what? Touch me like that without me allowing you to do it?" you growl from the back of your throat, making him slump down his fins like he did earlier "What were you even THINKING?"  
He bites his lip, flicking his perfectly white irises to look in your amber eyes "I thought you were enjoyin' the lil service, an seein' as you started purrin', I could've done the same. That's what I was thinkin'"  
"And why the hug? We're not matesprits" you dryly state, narrowing your eyes. He turns his head away, looking elsewhere "Well? What's with the sudden silence? Spit it out!"  
He keeps quiet, nervously fiddling with his own hands underwater. You observe him for a while, until he looks at you and his cheeks tint lightly of purple. A sigh follows shortly after, and he then looks at the space between the two of you without uttering a word.  
"I think you should leave" he suggests, talking with a low voice "I'm sure Sol's waitin' for you..."  
"He is not. Trust me. Now explain yourself" you cross your arms over your chest, looking right in his eyes. You think you might know what's the problem, but you'll never be sure unless he speaks his mind "Please!" you tilt your head, giving him a friendly expression and a warm smile "I promise I won't bite"  
He sighs from his nostrils, finally looking at you. You recognize that face. It's the same expression he had when he decided to join Jack: it's his 'this is what we came to, now take it or leave it' face.

"You wanna know? Fine. In my timeline, you an Sol were matesprits while Fef an I were moirails. But you know what? Your fuckin' shitty partner cheated on you, that's what happened. He left you for Fef an I couldn't fuckin' stand it, hell, I'm sure I never could in any fucked-up version of myself! Fef is only MINE. So you know what happened?" his voice shakes a little "We got to know each other, an when I was gonna ask you to be my matesprit, your fuckin' friend popped-up again, all self-loathin' himself an lookin' real fuckin' pitiful. Of course, who did you choose? Him! That's why I fuckin' hugged you, Ar" he swallows thick, lowering his voice after such an intense tantrum "'cause you're my foolish flushcrush..." he crosses his arms over his chest, looking out of the bay window. You stay silent, staring, surprised: didn't he hate land dwellers and lowbloods? Then, how could he get a flushcrush on the lowest of them all, who also used to dig, before the game? You must've looked really pitiful, huh... You now feel bad for him, but all in all, you didn't know this story, since you never really lived it first-person.

The absence of sounds is unbearable, it's getting on your nerves, so you try to vent it on your poor hair. You thought he might've hit on you, but a crush... Nope, too much to even imagine it. That's why he didn't kick you out of this bubble, and why he offered you to take a bath together and bride your hair and massage you, you can see the reason behind everything. So pitiful... You look up to him, finding his face really nice to look at. It's oval shaped, with that cleft chin that makes his jaw somehow squared. His eyebrows are slightly arched up at the end of his eyes, showing typically royal traits, along with a pair of long lashes. They are black, but they don't look feminine. They really fit his face. You move your gaze to his full and dark lips, which are framed by two dimples that you saw earlier, but which aren't being shown right now. You were expecting a pointy nose, but you find one softly pointing down. Well... You don't understand how your other-self couldn't pity him when he was alive by choosing Sollux, seeing as you're pitying him now that he's dead. And in all honesty, Sollux doesn't even look THAT good, all grumpy and skinny. On the other hand, you can now truly admire how highbloods -who aren't Equius- look like, with their stupid sexy abs and cute fins, since you have one of them naked in front of you. What are you even doing... You groan for yourself, cursing your deep and true inner self.

"Stop pouting, smiling suits you better" you say, moving ahead of you to rest your back against his chest "Finding out you had dimples like me was quite a surprise!" you smile, closing your eyes and resting your cheek against his, careful to not tangle your horns in a painful way "Well? Why aren't you pampering me? I want to hear you purr for me and treat me like the Queen of all the lowbloods!" you snicker, and though you know for a fact he's surprised, he wraps his arms around your waist again, purring like you asked. He rubs his face against yours, and you rub back, laughing a little.  
"Well well well, what's this? The mighty Eridan being a romantic and innocent troll?" you scratch under his chin, making him laugh in delight, showing his pearly teeth.  
"Seems so. An I don't care what you think, I'm happy I can finally do what I've always wanted to" he tilts his head, looking at you "Though... I'm sorry you don't know why I got this flushcrush on you. I understand that you don't feel my same emotions, an it's okay to me. Just tell me if it gets too much for you to bear it" he says, serious. You grin, pressing a smooch on his high cheekbone "It's okay. It's nice being pampered by a highblood, considering it doesn't happen everyday" his cheeks got real fucking purple, so you give him another kiss there, and one more. He finally leans, pulling you nearer by your shoulder to delicately nibble at your nose and peck it. His voice is really soft, a murmur.

"It should happen more often"


	5. Chapter 5

Maybe in his timeline you had a matesprit, but in your own one, you never had any. It's weird, really: just being close, purring to each other like meowing beasts, you in his arms and he embracing you without a word. Are you making him happy? The answer is easy: definitely. You could never quite look at Ampora from a close distance, he almost never showed himself on the meteor. But now, wow, you definitely regret not giving him the attention he deserved…

You smile for yourself, settling comfortably beside him and running an hand from his collarbone to his groin, feeling his relaxed muscles under the smooth and cold grey skin. He keeps an arm around your shoulders and lets you touch his body, as he effortlessly takes your legs and moves them on his lap, so that you're kind of sitting on him.

You brush your fingertips past his groin and towards his crotch, just feeling, no seeing because of the foam covering the water surface. Now that you think of it, how long have you been laying in this tub? You tilt your head up, causing him to move his forehead away from yours "Don't you think it's better if we leave? I think we're clean enough"  
"Mh? You haven't even washed your hair, I suggest you to do it" he looks at your dark wavy hair "It's all… Greasy an ruined" he makes a bit of an aghast face, taking some strands in his hands to examine them "Really, you need to take better care of it. Definitely. Now, dip"

"…Excuse me?"  
"I said: dip. Like, get some fuckin' water on that hair, y'know? Is it more clear now?"  
"Ah, sure. Yeah" you chuckle, then scoot away from him and lay on your back, tilting your head in the water. When you sit back straight, it feels like you're carrying a fuckton of stuff on your head. Ugh! Too much haaair...  
He looks down to the floor, then reaches for a new shampoo bottle and opens it, while you curiously watch the mighty sea dweller buzz around to take the best care of you that he can manage, as you move back beside him. He squeezes the bottle on his palm "In front of me, Ar. Cannot clean you otherwise" he smears the fluid on both his palms, looking at you with his milky eyes.  
"You want to clean me? Sounds a lot like a thing a moirail would do!"  
"But does it matter? I just want you to relax and do nothin' while you stay here. Lemme do everythin'" he gives you such a pretty smile, that you obediently do as he says. You look in front of you or down on the water, waiting.

He finally starts to massage your wool-like hair. At first it comes off as a really intimate moment, romantic even. Until you start yelping when he gets to the first knots. Then, it hurts like a bitch.  
"Ouch! Are you crazy?!" you yelp, hissing.  
"Oh my god Ar I wasn't expectin' so many knots!" he desperately says, trying to untangle his claws and fingers from your hair.  
"Eridan stop it you're hurting me!"  
"Sorry!"  
"OUCH!"  
"Fuck fuck fuck I think I gotta cut this one!"  
"Don't you fucking dare Ampora! I will cut your THROAT!"  
"WHY ISN'T YOUR HAIR LIKE FEF'S?!"  
"MAYBE BECAUSE WE'RE NOT THE SAME TROLL!"  
"God I KNOW! Cut me some fuckin' slack you're not helpin'!"  
He finally manages to free his hands, even half-yelling a victorious 'Yes!'. You groan, rubbing your poor head.  
"It hurts…" you mumble. He sighs.  
"Sooorry" he squirts the shampoo directly on your hair, and when you see it, you gasp.  
"You're not doing it again! Don't touch my poor hair!"  
"Calm down, I got this!" you arch away from his hands, and he has to pull you close again from your shoulders. However, he does not clean your hair right away, instead he places his chin on the crook of your neck, purring his words.  
"Aw c'mon, don't be scared. I promise I'll be more careful, mh?" his face moves under your jaw, and the closeness makes you blush hard, in a positive kind of way. You try to keep pouting, but you end up smiling again.  
"Fine, but this is your last chance! I won't give you any other one"  
He happily and loudly purrs, chuckling "It's enough for me! Don'tcha worry" he pops a kiss on your cheek and moves behind you again, leaving you smiling for yourself. Who could ever imagine he was so affectionate! But maybe it's just this version of him. Hell you don't know, you should just stop complaining and enjoy this!

You must say that having the shampoo on your hair from the start makes everything easier. He just has to massage the hair and scratch your scalp, nothing painful.  
"There! How was that?"  
"Soooo much better" you lowly say, turning your head to him and softly looking at him with a pleased expression. He doesn't move "…Well? Not rinsing it?"  
"Huh? Do I look like I can do it? It's a bathtub, not a shower"  
"How do you know it's called an ablution tub?" you widen your eyes, surprised. He snorts.  
"Ar, only you lowbloods call it 'ablution trap'. Us highbloods call it the right way, which is 'bathtub', not 'ablution tub'"  
"Ohhhhh right! Yeah, bathtub" you nod "I knew it. I just wanted to test you"  
"Of course you did" he shakes his head, amused, then sits straight, with his spine against the walls of the tub to make room for you "Go ahead, get that shampoo off that bush of wool"  
You rise a brow, but don't talk back. You dip, and when you emerge, you feel so fresh and clean! Ahhhh….  
"There, all clean! We're ready to leave!" you smile widely, gazing at hi— "…I thought you already washed your hair?"  
"Mh? Oh. Nope. But it's cool, I'll be quick" he scratches the hair on his nape, smiling back to you. You pout, turning completely towards him, then slap his hands away from his head.  
"Sh, I don't want to hear a single word from your mouth!"

He zips his lips, but chuckles lightly as you work on his hair. You find out you have more things in common that you thought: both of you have wavy hair, and dimples. What else will you find out today? You must say, the more you observe his face, the more you can't take your eyes away. You must be making him uncomfortable, because his cheeks tint of a delicate shade of purple. You blink, catching yourself with your head tilted lightly and way too close to his. You both look down to the water, you clearing your throat, he humming.

You glance up to his face, and a smile grows on your lips. You try to suppress a laugh, but you can't resist for too long, so you end up snickering, with your hands still in his hair "We are such Sollux's! All nerdy" he laughs too, shaking his shoulders a little. You grin to each other, then you smirk and pull him by his hair, kissing his dark lips in the blink of an eye. He freezes, you can hear him not breathing for a couple seconds, but he's quick to melt down again. You don't let go of him until he presses back. When you push him back to his spot, he stares at you wide-eyed.  
"You're all purple" you state metter-of-factly.  
"That's indeed my blood colour…" he mumbles, still staring.  
"You look like a fish"  
"I am indeed one third fish, or somethin' like that"  
"Stop saying 'indeed'!" you snort, grinning "You look like you never kissed anybody…" you trail off, finally moving your hands away from his hair.

He licks his lips "I never said I did before" it's now your turn to stare "No, wait, I mean, not in this quadrant! Y'know, it's… Black kissin' is different, I believe you know it right?" you sigh, relieved. Phew! Then, he's not the biggest virgin ever! Cool.  
"Though, I think you overreacted" are you even thinking right now? Helloooo, you were his flush crush when he was alive! Nope, your synapses aren't making contact. No information is travelling in your brain. Poor Eridan...  
"Maybe… Whatever" he dismissively swats his hand, then gestures you to scoot away. You do, giving him space to dip his head in the water to rinse his hair. There! Now you're both clean! Time to get out.

"…Who's taking the first step out?" you look at him. He looks back at you. You both look in each other's eyes for a minute, two, you making smooching gestures and him wiggling his brows, until he finally blinks.  
"HAH!" you victoriously squeal, grinning widely.  
"FUCK!" he pouts, then rolls his eyes "Fine! I'm gettin' out. Fuck you, Ar"  
"You wish!" you snicker, watching him put his palms on the edge of the tub and hopping out, perfectly landing on his feet plants. Ohhhh, what a nice booty we got there Mr. Seadweller!

"Did you do that stunt to impress me?" you joke.  
"We'll never know" he replies, bending over to collect your clothes from the ground. Well well well, the view surely impresses you, you must admit. Are those back dimples? You can't fucking believe this guy has dimples in every fucking part of his stupid body! You mentally shake your mental fist at him. Stupid sexy Ampora, damn your dead-self! Oh, wait…  
"Your clothes smell AWFUL"  
Wh—"No, YOU smell!" you pout.  
"I'm serious, Ar. They need to be washed, y'know?" he puts them on a chair, then walks in another room by entering a corridor that opens in the wall in front of the library, just right after the couch. You watch him walk away, with his bubble butt wiggling around shamelessly. You think you'll remember of it for quite some time.

He pops up after a while, dressed with a robe and holding another clean and fluffy one for you. Oh my god that's so cool! Caps with holes for the horns!  
"Sorry, but this'll have to work. I got no robe with holes for horns as big as yours" he hands you a cap-less pink robe. Well, more fuchsia than pink: must be Feferi's.  
"It's alright. Now turn around"  
"Yessir" he turns his head away and gives you the robe, then turns completely around when you grab it. You step out of the tub too, wearing the robe loosely. You hook your arm with his, making him turn his head.  
"God, I can see your boobs"  
"So what? My body, my rules! I'm not ashamed of what Nature gave me!"  
"But that's a tad too provocative, don'tcha agree? I might not resist my impulses an jump on you"  
"I believe you're better than that, and if you really want to persuade me to tighten this robe around me, you'll first have to look in my eyes! And they're not positioned on my chest, though it might appear incredible"  
"Ops, busted… But yeah, you should cover up or you'll get a cold" he calmly says, gazing at your face. You're glad he's not as bad as your friends portrayed him, all pervy and… Stuff like that. I mean, he only looked at your boobs, and we all know that nobody can resist them. They're simply way too perfect, and you know it. He's got a valid excuse!

"I'll be fine" you smile widely, and he smiles back "Now, do you have a dining block or not in this hive?"  
"You're lucky I do" he walks you in the corridor you noticed earlier, with no hurry. There are three doors, meaning that they must lead to an ablution block, a dining block and a respite block. You both enter the door in the middle, revealing a clean and warm dining block. The dining table resembles the table in the main room, except it's a bit higher and square-shaped instead of rectangular. It's pushed against the wall, and Eridan gestures you to take the seat you fancy better.  
You look around: near the door is the hunger trunk –how does Dave call it? Fridge? No, you're probably wrong again-, next to it there's a corner kitchen with storing furniture pinned to the wall. On the opposite side of the room, in front of you, there's a fire place. Beside it, the rest of the wall is occupied by a big window with the view of the sea and the corrupted environment of the dreambubble. What a nice place!

As you look around, Eridan has already opened the hunger trunk and pulled out something that smells like fish. You look down to the plate, then up to him with a questioning expression "What are these… White oval things?"  
"It's rice. Don't tell me you never had it?"  
"Uh… No? This cooked stuff is for highbloods only" you calmly reply, blinking up to him. He rises is brows, then sits next to you.  
"Well, alright. Try it, then! Rice with cuttlefish"  
"Aren't those the fish Feferi loved?" you smile, then take a spoonful of the food. Ohhh! It doesn't taste bad at all!  
"Yeah, they are, but it doesn't mean we don't eat 'em" he chuckles, then stands up to leave after a while.  
"Where are you going?" you ask, with the food in your mouth.  
"I can't let you put on those dirty clothes again, so obviously I'm gonna clean 'em!"  
"What? But they'll have to be dried too! I can't effort to stay for so long!" you protest, watching him walk away.  
"Don't worry, I got everythin' under control" he's already disappeared, leaving you all by yourself. Well… Not that it saddens you. It's not like your manners can be put on the same level as royalty's, it's better if he doesn't see you eating.

And hey, who knows if he was going to steal your food!


	6. Chapter 6

==> Be Eridan.

You are now Eridan Ampora, and you're dead, but we already knew it. You're currently walking to the ablution block, with Aradia's clothes in your hands. What your friend doesn't know, is that since you live in this bubble, you're able to modify little parts of its reality, so you can quickly dry off the clothes which you cleaned in the blink of an eye. There! All fresh and lavender-scented.

You linger, sitting on the washing machine to simply hold the red clothes in your hands. You kick your feet in the air carelessly, thinking about what happened in the past hour, from when you fell asleep to when you found her looking down at you. It was like watching your own and most intimate dream come to life, without you remotely believing in the possibility of it becoming true. You just want to hug her and sink your face in her soft hair and kiss her neck. But, are you rushing it? Maybe you made her uncomfortable all along… But what can you do, or say, to excuse yourself? You can't erase your feelings, not even now that you've passed away. They just stay and you're not sorry you purred at her.

You sigh, looking at nothing and everything, laying your eyes on the window without admiring the beautiful sea outside. You must talk to her, explain things better! But it's so difficult… You were never the kind of troll who just comes up and easily speaks his mind, it's like asking Equius to mind-control Vriska: it's impossible. Though, you explained her that you felt red for her, when alive. It's a great step you took! Congratulations to yourself! Ugh, you still hate talking about your feelings, though.  
You chew your inner cheek, finally blinking and taking in the shiny bright colours of the sea and the stars. Ah, so beautiful… You scratch your head, then fiddle with your purple tuft of hair underneath the robe cap, absently curling it around your fingertip. What to do… Shit you don't fucking know! You growl for yourself, figuring that if you don't go back to her, you'll never find out what you should or shouldn't do.

You find her eating the rice, without minding too much about food etiquette. You smile a little, then announce your presence with a little cough. She turns her head towards the door, blushing a little and gulping down the food.  
"Likin' it?" you politely ask.  
"Oh, yes! It tastes amazing!" she grins at you, and you give her a dimply smile back. Your vascular pump feels like it's going to explode every time she gives you that smile, and considering she grinned often today, you were nearly dying a second time at least five times today.

"I'm glad you like it! Also… Here you go" you hold up her clean clothes, showing her. She widens her eyes a little.  
"How did you do that? It's… You- you stayed away for barely 10 minutes! How is that possible?"  
You chuckle "Since I'm now part of this dreambubble, I am allowed to change some thins about it. I simply heated up the room to dry the clothes quickly"  
"Wow... Amazing!" she excitedly looks at the clothes, standing up and making her breasts jump a little. Fuck, must not look! You DO have manners, right? It'd be a shame if you dropped them like this.  
"Now, let me escort you to the respite block" you smile, letting her hook her arm to yours before stepping outside the dining block and into the respite one "Here you go" you hand her the clothes, then move to walk away. She grabs you by the sleeve of the robe, smirking lightly.

"What's that, you're not keeping me any company, Eridan?" the way she says you name makes you blink in surprise and... Something else.  
"Well, I thought you might like some privacy, since you gotta get naked and everythin', y'know?"  
"And what about you? Aren't you changing to something more comfortable?" she rises a brow, smirking ever-so-slightly. Hot.  
"I guess I will, when you leave" you smile "I'm sure you don't wanna see me change, I mea-"  
"Never make assumptions about the living, Mr. Ampora!" she pouts a little and flicks her fingers on your nose "What if I want to see you change, hm?"  
You think you're all purple in the face, because you're heating up like hell. Ohmygod does she want to see you half naked? Fully naked? Naked with pants or naked with shirt? There are so many ways to be naked in front of a woman! Which one does she refer to? And mostly, does she want to see your front, or your back, naked? I mean, not that you have a boner right now, so your bonebulge is still inside the slit with nothing showing out, but still...  
"Well..." yes, you must've become purple, because she makes a squealing expression and reaches for your neck, wrapping her arms around it to pull herself up and peck your cheeks. Your arms instinctively go around her waist, then you keep speaking "I wouldn't mind to be half naked in front of you, as long as you don't make weird comments or ridiculous puns"  
"I promise I won't!" she snickers, headbutting you almost gently "Now, if you please, I need to change into my usual attire" she swiftly lets go of you, moving towards the recuperacoon.

She places the God Tier outfit on the edge of the purple cocoon, turning her head -but not her body- towards you, untying the knot of the ribbon around her waist, which keeps the robe in place. She slowly lets the piece of clothing slide away from her warm body, shaking her shoulders a little to make it easier and smoother. You're resting with your shoulder against the door frame, arms crossed and colourless eyes pinned on her. The robe lands on the floor, revealing a confident Aradia, proud of her wide waist and little shoulders. She chuckles, and it sounds like music to you. Her hands take the clothes you cleaned, starting to put them on leisurely, naturally. You sigh contently, tilting your head to rest it against the wooden door "You look great..." you say, drinking her half-naked figure with your thirsty eyes.

She smiles for herself, turning towards you while she puts on her pants.  
"I'm sure you'll look great too!" she smiles widely, pretending that she not just implied she can't wait to see you without anything on. You still can't believe it, but hey, who are you to judge? You ARE handsome, so it shouldn't really surprise you: if you were another troll, you'd ask yourself the fuck out. You take a few steps, opening the wardrobe for her.  
"There, you get to pick what I gotta put on"  
She hops beside you, tilting and bending and shuffling and grabbing and sinking and touching and doing everything to the clothes, intended to choose the right outfit for you. You just watch her move around, resting your butt against the recuperacoon, waiting. And then wait. And... Wait again? Come on, she doesn't have to choose something for HERSELF, why is she taking so long?! Women...  
"THERE! I found the perfect outfit for you!" she exclaims, pulling out a black pair of silk pants and a white long-sleeved shirt, which goes with a purple waistcoat.  
"Ain't that a bit... Too formal?" you just rise a brow, crossing your arms over your chest again.  
"Who cares! Just do it for the fun of dressing up" she giggles, then tosses the clothes at you.

You catch them, detaching from the edge of the recuperacoon to place your clothes there instead, then look at her. She looks back at you, walking to sit on a chair "What are you waiting for?" she tilts her head. You shrug.  
"So you really wanna see me naked?"  
"Yeah I guess" she snickers, crossing her legs and resting her joined hands on her lap, watching you with interest "Does it make you uncomfortable?"  
"Not at all" you playfully wink, then turn your head towards the clothes.  
You first have, of course, to take the robe off, and since she did it so teasingly, you believe that if you held eye contact with her while slowly letting it slide away, it'll be just as good. You move your attention back to the clothes, grabbing a pair of clean boxers first: while putting them on, you give her your back, and for an unknown reason you hear a little squealing noise come from her when you bend over to put the underwear on.

You don't pay much attention to it, instead you take the trousers and just... Slide them on, this time facing her, so she can see when you tilt your hip while buttoning them up, making your muscles flex. The shirt comes next, and now that you're noticing, Aradia's hair is still wet, she's dampening all her clothes... Whatever, you'll convince her to dry it in a while. When you button up the waistcoat as well, you look in her eyes "How do I look?"  
"Really hot, that's how!" she bites her lip, tilting her head to look at every inch of your body. You confidently smile, walking in her direction.  
"Now that I did this, what's my prize?"  
She stands up, looking up to you. Ah, she's so... Beautiful, yeah. Has got this huge eyes and-

"...Did you just cop-a-feel?"  
"The booty was calling me"  
"No it wasn't! You just wanted to touch it 'cause it looks like heaven" you smirk "I didn't know you were so interested in troll anatomy. How's you're research 'bout my ass goin'?"  
"Oh yes, I find it a really interesting subject to study" she nods "Really soft, round and strong. Yeah, I can recognize when a but is relaxed and wen it's tensed! Yes, like that. I'm taking notes, don't you worry. It's going to be the best research about booties EVER" You chuckle.  
"Yeah, I can see it happen. But what about you dry your hair, now? You're dampenin' all your clothes" you move your hands on her waist, and she slides her hands on your own.  
"Are you helping me?" she smiles, showing her adorable dimples. How can you not smile back?  
"Yeah, but only 'cause you're askin' me so nicely. How can I help you?" would it be okay if you nuzzled her? Nobody ever died for trying something, so you hunch down a little, nose to nose. She leaves a light smooch on your nose tip.  
"You could heat up the room like you did before, when you had to dry my clothes?"  
You nod, then rest your forehead against hers, closing your eyes. It's easy, really, you just have to intensely think about what you want. You're pretty sure that if you wanted a cake right now, out of nowhere, if you concentrated enough you'd get it. However, you can feel the place heat up, and after maybe ten minutes, you open your eyes again, finding a smiling Aradia.

"Did it work?"  
"What do you think? My waves are back! And so are yours" she runs an hand through your hair, and you purr for her. She chuckles, pulling you down to kiss your cleft chin, and in return, you kiss her nose. She starts too purr back, rubbing her face against your shoulder. You snicker, then wrap your arms around her waist and pull her up, walking away and in the main block of the hive, where the couch is.

You flop on it, dragging her down with you and making her laugh out loud.  
"Do I really weight so little?" she turns her head and her body, sitting on your lap and laying her legs on the cushions of the couch, while you sit straight, with your arms still around her sides.  
"To me, yes you do. For your moirail, maybe not" you keep your head tilted up a little, while she keeps hers tilted down to meet your eyes.  
You just look in hers, losing track of everything. Not that you ever kept track of time, I mean, when you're dead it doesn't hold any meaning, and being a purpleblood gives you as many advantages as if you were an orangeblood: none. You're all equal, when you're dead, and you quickly learned it. But now that an alive troll is here, it's different, she has a schedule to follow, plans to do. You're just a mere shadow she'll quickly forget, one of the many Eridan she'll find around. Who knows, maybe you're not even the only one in this same bubble. You only hope she knows that you're as real as the Alpha one, that what you feel is true.

You sigh for yourself, dropping your head against the backrest of the white piece of furniture.  
"Something's wrong?" she murmurs, tilting her head and knitting her brows a little. Is that so obvious?  
"I'm scared you don't get me seriously" you reply, just like that. Another thing you learned in the afterlife is that beating about the bush is a pointless waste of words: if you have a problem, it's better if you get it straight out. That's why you have to talk your feelings out.  
"And why wouldn't I?" she shuffles to sit beside you and not on your lap.  
"'Cause I'm sure you see me like a copy, not a real body with his own feelins an ideas. I'm not the Eridan you knew in your timeline... I'd understand if you considered me as an object or... Somethin' like that" you blink, looking down at her. She smiles lightly, shaking her head.  
"Silly seadweller... I perfectly know you're the real Eridan, just like every other Eridan in these dreambubbles. You're all unique, with your own traits and flaws" she smiles big, looking up at you "and your own sense of humor too! And, so far, you're the nicest I met during our journey" she adds, poking your side.

You break into a smile, letting out a breathed chuckle "And you're the first Aradia who didn't reject me just 'cause of my name"  
There's a little moment of silence, made of tiny laughs and huge smiles, before you start to purr loudly, moving your hand behind her head to pull her closer, so you can kiss the top of her head. She, in exchange, wraps her whole arms lenght around you, hugging you tightly and purring as loudly. Oh, you feel so happy right now! You could... You cold... You could even kiss her! Yeah! What could happen, anyways, if you did? Yeah! YEAH!  
You slide both your palms under her jaw to tilt her head up, then lean over and press your lips against hers, with closed eyes.

She tenses up a little, pushing you away. Fuck! You curse yourself. You fucking idiot, you should've expected i- Mmmpmphmhph! Mmmphhhhhh... Mmmmmmmhh!


	7. Chapter 7

You've been kissing on the couch for about 15 minutes, and it feels amazing. Your arms are around her body and her own arms are around your neck, tightly hugging you and making your neck ache a little too. She was kind enough to let your tongue slip between her lips, making you take over control. You fall on your back, laying down on the cushions with her on top of you, while clicks and purrs fill the air.

You pull away, looking up at her and taking a breath. She smiles lightly down at you, before gently headbutting your forehead.  
"What are you thinking about?" she inquires, smiling softly.  
"Nothin' special, I'm just observin' your face" you shrug, shifting so your head is resting on the armrest of the couch. She shifts too, laying beside you. Ah, you could live forever like this... You sigh contently, sliding an arm under her shoulders to pull her against your body.  
"When do you think you're leavin'?" you turn your head to her, forehead-to-forehead.  
"I'm not sure, but I think Sollux will come and pick me up. We kind of know where the other is, probably because we're the only alive ones, so we're the only ones who emit an aura that can be picked" you hum and nod.  
"I see" should you kiss her again? Oh, who minds. You lean forward and peck her lips "Let's hope he won't ruin our fun any soon, then" you smile softly, making her smile back.

Once again, you're both swimming in a sea of silence and you two are the passengers of the little white boat floating on the surface. You share kisses, little clumsy bumps on the legs and strokes, because all in all, neither of you is used to have a matesprit and you need to learn. You shift on top of her body, moving both your arms under her head and laying flat on her stomach, between her legs.  
"Are you happy?" she lowly asks, lazily running an hand in your hair. You nod.  
"I am. A lot" you lean down and nuzzle her "An you?"  
She smiles "I am, too" her smile widens "Also, I didn't know you could be this affectionate and sweet. Were you like this in your timeline too?"  
You snort with a little of laughter "I'm afraid I wasn't. I guess I just needed an opportunity to show this side of me?" you tilt your head and shrug a little, smooching her neck "Not like I knew I had it. It's a surprise for me too" and with that, you slowly begin to leave a trail of kisses down her neck to her shoulder, making sure to press your lips completely on her skin.

She purrs at that, scratching your nape and making you click form the back of your throat out of reflex. When you're at the end of her shoulder you pull away, then move your face behind her ear, hinting a smirk. You breathe hotly against it, murmuring her name and grinding down to her while your hands place themselves on her side and slide down. She tenses up, then pushes you away.

"Eridan, stop." she dryly says, sitting up and looking in your eyes. You don't say anything, simply pulling your hands away and sit beside her "We've been together for barely a couple of hours, please avoid doing this"  
You nod "Yeah, sorry. Just thought you were gonna be okay with it?"  
"I'm not. It's okay to cuddle and else, but... Not this, no" she shakes her head. You scoot closer, bumping your shoulder to hers.  
"Sorry again Ar. I promise I won't do it again" you confirm, purring loudly. She looks at you, then timidly purrs back. You give her a dimply smile to calm her down, and it seems to be working, because she pulls her legs up and on your lap.  
"So, I take it you like sweet an carin' partners?" you teasingly ask, stroking one of her legs with your hand.  
"I think it depends a lot on the moment. I'd say I like active partners, really" she smiles back just as teasingly "And you're not being one!"  
"Oh, so, should I be more passionate?" you arch a brow.  
"If by passionate you mean a total sap, then no" she titters "Why don't you show me what you can do? Mind you: being passionate doesn't mean being a perv like before, nor being aggressive like you own me and I'm your toy" she reminds you, because for some reason she understood you tend to be a tad too aggressive sometimes. Maybe you fucked up something in her timeline? Whatever!

"Here I come, then~" you sing-song, standing up and pulling her with you. Be passionate, huh? You give her a piquant smile, waltzing to the wall with her. Once her back is against it you bend your knees slightly and slide your forearms under her knees, pulling them up. The moment her legs wrap around your waist is also the moment your mouths make contact again, and the moment she places her hands on your chest is also the moment in which you begin to be passionate for real.  
This time she's the one who controls the situation, tasting your gums and tongue with her own, breathing hotly and making you pant in her mouth. She weights nothing to you, so it's very easy to keep her pressed against the wall, but it's not as easy to keep up with her kissing. She presses and pulls away, licks your lips and then denies you the access to her mouth, she giggles innocently and then devours you until you have to pull away like a loser. She is like made of fire, a fire that makes you feel alive, even though you lost your life much time ago. You dive for a new kiss to try to fight her, and when you start to get the hang of it, you hear steps coming your way. Oh no...

The door is slammed open "...AA?" the intruder turns his head "...Ampora?!"

Aradia abruptly pulls away from you with a popping noise, coming from her lips detaching from yours "Sollux!" she yelps, widening her eyes and looking at him. Is that a thread of saliva hanging between your faces?  
"Captor?" you desperately groan his last name, hoping that it was somebody else. Anybody was fine. Anybody but him! "What are you doin' he-"  
You can't finish the sentence, because your face is met by a huge book taken from the library thrown by him. The tome falls heavily on the ground, and you can see sparks coming out of Captor's eyes.  
"Let go of her, you sick bastard!" he growls, threateningly baring his fangs. You growl back, letting go of Aradia not because he said so, but because in this way you can throw a punch at him without hindrances. He's too distant though, so you wait for him to come closer.

"What were you doing to her?" he barks, sending a wave of psionics at you meant to make you fall over. You stay still on your feet though, resisting the attack.  
"I was doin' nothin' wrong, you asshole! You came here an ruined our fuckin' moment, like you've always done in my whole timeline!" you snap back, literally jumping on him.  
You both roll on the ground, hitting your respective horns on the floor several times before you finally stop and he straddles you. He screeches at you and you roar back while he reinforces his weak punches with his psionics and hits your face.

You finally take hold of his fists and tighten your grip on them, completely furious that he simply dared to hit you. You can hear cracking noises coming from his fists and it makes you smirk in a twisted way "You got no idea of how long I had to wait to hear this sweet noise" you hiss, pressing more.

He bites down his lip, then sends a strong shock of psionics down your spine that makes you growl in pain and ease up on your grip. He's quick to catch the moment and to consequentially stand up to move away from you.  
"AA! Are you alright?" he looks at her, while you slowly stand up. Shit, that thing would've killed you if you were still alive...  
"Of course I am, Sollux!" she replies, watching the scene unfold in front of her eyes "Can't you see? I'm fine! Stop fighting" she takes a few steps, placing between you and your eternal enemy. He gives her an angry look.  
"Are you crazy?! He was assaulting you, I fucking saw it!" he's rubbing his -probably- aching hands, still growling from the back of his throat "He deserves some kicks up his ass for it"  
"What the fuck are you talkin' about?" you roar in, stepping beside Aradia "Since when makin' out equals assaultin' somebody?" shit, this is some private stuff that you hate to blurt out, and most of all, that you hate to blurt out to Sollux, so it's natural that your cheeks tint up a little, a bit out of frustration and a bit out of embarrassment.

In response, he arches a brow, smirking to scoff you "What? You making out with AA? My my my Ampora, your perversions surely are stooping low these days huh? First you say you hate lowbloods and then you force your disgusting fishy tongue inside their mouth" he tuts, still with the intent of mocking you "You make me sick to the bone. You know what, even now that you're dead you don't deserve my attentions or I might get as pervy as you"  
"I'm not a pervert, and you know it" you glare at him "I'm not the same Ampora of your timeline, I got nothin' to do with him! An even though we're different, I highly doubt he was a 'pervert' like you're sayin'" you rebuke, still wanting to snap his neck.  
He snorts, shaking his head "Please, you might be different from each other but you sure as fuck are all a bunch of-"

"Sollux, that's enough" Aradia cuts him short, giving him a stern look "Please leave the room"

He shockingly stares at her, slowly arching his brows. Well, at least you think he's staring, you can't quite tell since his eyes are completely black and white.  
"AA? Seriously?" god, you hate his fucking lisp, but you don't point it out. You know when it's time to shut up and just watch.  
"Seriously, Sollux" she frowns a little, then smiles again "I will explain everything to you later. Now please, leave" she's being polite, that's for sure, but she's using a tone that doesn't accept any replies.

Sollux hums, twisting his lips in a way that says nothing but perfectly expresses all his frustration and rage. He just scowls towards your direction, rising both his hands with the middle fingers flipped "Hope you choke on a bulge and die for the second time!" he growls, before stomping back to the door. When he slams the door closed, another tome reaches your body, this time hitting your stomach and leaving you breathless, hunched over with your hands on the hit spot.

Aradia rolls her eyes and shakes her head a little, waiting for you to stand up straight again. You mutter curses to the pissblood, but she doesn't say anything on the matter.

She takes your face in her hands, looking at your milky eyes. You do the same, batting your lashes down to her. She eventually draws you down and pops a kiss on your lips and you do just in time to press back before she pulls away.

"It's been fun" you meekly say, smiling just a little.  
She nods "Indeed it was"

What now?


	8. Chapter 8

==> leave the odd-looking hive  
"Your face looks so wrecked" you comment, smiling a little to him while gently stroking his face "It doesn't fit you at all." He blinks and places his hand on yours, closing his eyes and lightly snorting with laughter.  
"This is what you get when your nemesis shows up to steal your partner" he replies and adds a shrug of his shoulders, meaning that you shouldn't worry about it. You catch it, so you playfully ruffle his hair and pad closer. He opens his blank eyes and smiles sweetly, wrapping his arms around you while you reciprocate, placing your hands on his shoulder blades. You don't know for how long you two stay like that, but it feels... Quite nice. He calmly, silently purrs into your ear, while you gurgle in the back of your throat. Neither of you want to let go, but Sollux's jittery voice comes from outside the door  
"AA will you fucking move!" he summons you, but you blatantly ignore him. You're saying good-bye here!

"Well," you slowly, unwillingly detach from Eridan. He doesn't let go of you at first, but you're giving him such sorry and pleading eyes, that he persuades himself of letting go of you "I really ought to go now..." you mumble, looking to his chest instead of his face.  
"Yeah..." he heavily breathes out, sucking in his lower lip and lightly biting it. Your hands slide from his back to his sides, up to his chest and arms; they trace the muscles on his forearms and finally reach his hands. His palms face upwards, so when you place yours on his, he delicately holds your hands and brings them to his face. He makes little distressed noises, pressing them to his cheeks. The sight is making you emotional, and it's bad: for the best of both, you must be strong! You can't leave a bitter taste in his mouth when you leave! After all, it was you the one who disturbed him in his dreambubble.  
"Don't be like that" you lowly say, pulling your hands away. He gives you a confused, close to hurt look.  
"What d'you mean?" he asks, blindly searching for your hands. He finds them and holds them, and you allow him to do it.  
"I mean, don't be sad" you offer him a consoling smile "This is just a good-bye, not a farewell. I'm sure that one day we'll pass by again," you smile more, trying to cheer him up "And I'll come to visit!" you're grinning now, swinging your arms with his. It seems to work, because he smiles. It's a tiny smile, but it's there!

"Ar, we both know that's never gonna happen" he says with a sad, realistic voice. That makes you slope your ears, but he then finishes his sentence "But thanks for tryin' to cheer my mood anyway" he leans down and headbutts you, placing his hands on your shoulders. You give him an eskimo kiss, brightly glancing at him when he stands straight again.  
"It worked, didn't it?" you joke.  
"It did" he jokes back, chuckling. You giggle, and for a moment you simply gaze in each other's eyes.  
"Maybe you should go, the others must be waiting for you two" he whispers, taking a step back. You don't like the gesture, but it's necessary. It's really time to take your leave.  
"Probably..." you trail off, then hum a little while looking down.  
"Then go" he turns his head towards the door "Before Captor gets fed up an barges in again an ruins everythin'" he snorts. Yeah, Sollux can be an asshole at times.  
"Alright" you simply murmur, turning on your heels and slowly walking to the exit.

Eridan watches you leave, without saying anything. What is there to say? You've got your life, and he's got his afterlife. You both know. You can't stay, and it would be a weird relationship either way. You're surprised you feel so invested after barely a couple of hours of knowing a new Eridan, reationally speaking, it should be impossible! Yet here you are, sighing because you're leaving the ghost of somebody you never knew.  
You open the door, stepping out and giving him one last look. He smiles warmly at you, and you give him a sad smile "See you around, then" you mumble.  
He nods.  
You close the door and--  
Fly away.  
  
  
"Wait!" his voice catches you off-guard, so you and Sollux jump in surprise while flying away. Uh? Was that Eridan's voice?

  
You turn around, looking down to Eridan's hive and smiling wide when you catch him wave his arms at you from the window. "Ugh, what's wrong with that cree-- AA the fuck you're doing?! Come back!" Sollux calls you, but you don't hear him: you're too busy flying back to Ampora's window!  
"Yes?" you eagerly ask, beaming down at him. He isn't smiling. He's giving you one of the most serious look you've ever received.  
"You said one day you'll come around again, yeah?" the way his brows are furrowed is so cute! "Then, when all of this is over, when our companions stop dyin'... Come back an be my matesprit"  
"Is this a formal request?" you joke, but there's no mockery in your voice. It's simply your way of saying 'maybe'.  
"It is" he firmly replies, and then, something surprises you.  
He holds up his hand towards you, with his index finger and thumb forming the shape of half a heart. You become red in the face, staring incredulously to his fingers. Is he... Is he really asking you to complete the heart? His eyes don't falter, but he HAS become a little purple too. He must be worried you'll decline and just fly away. A killer being worried a maroonblood will say no.

...That's so adorable in its own twisted way! You excitedly grin and complete the heart shape with your fingers, eyes practically shining "I will!"  
You can't add anything else, because he has already grabbed your hand and pulled you down effortlessly, taking your face in his hands and kissing you. You inhale sharply, registering what just happened. Wow! You'll never remember how strong purplebloods are! You kiss back, then detach with a pop. He grins widely, and you titter back.  
"You look so cute right now" you tease, gently pushing his hands away. He complies without further insisting.  
"Yeah, well, you don't look too bad yourself either" he laughs, and you stick out your tongue while hovering up towards the fake sky.  
"After this comment I may never come back, you know?" you joke, making him snort from the window. You two exchange silent but happy glances, and when Sollux calls you again, you simply wave your hands to Eridan. He does the same, watching you go.  
  
You can't wait for this game to be over!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't even remember the plot, to be honest. It's been so much time since I last wrote something, that I completely forgot where I was going ahahah
> 
> So yeah!! I hope you enjoyed this last chapter and the fic in general! See you next timeeeee <3

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, first fanfiction i've ever written!!! i apologize for every grammar mistake, not-so-IC replies/actions, but i don't have a beta-reader and things are hard to correct when you don't speak english ahahah 


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